Smallest Advantage

Training Begins Part 2

With the voice's name still dancing in his head Tyr sat up. After blinking a few times rapidly his room came into focus. Someone must have carried him into his room. His bed was covered with well made animal furs from the village. The bed itself was stuffed with soft hay and sown together with stiff threads.

Getting out of bed Tyr swung his legs over the bed frame. When his bare feet touched the cold floor shivers ran through his body.

'Someone must have taken my shoes off,' he thought to himself.

Closing his eyes he reached above his head arched his back slightly stretching his body. A couple of moments later he opened his eyes and noticed he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. They look muddy in places and smelled horrible.

Making a disgusted face Tyr stood up and took his dirty clothes off. Throwing them over to the bedroom door he headed to his dresser. Although his father took great care when building the family home the bedrooms were kept almost empty. Uriah went for function over design.

The dresser was made from the same wood as the bed frame. Taylin once told him that Uriah used a massive tree from the forest to supply the wood for them. Besides the dresser and bed Uriah also put in shelves in Tyr's room. Tyr often asked his father for more shelves so he could put more plants in his room. Uriah rarely said no when asked. The clothes were simply made from wool gathered and refined by the villagers. Dyes were expensive however the wool itself made the clothes a full brown color. Quickly grabbing a shirt and a pair of pants Tyr got dressed.

Tyr looked around the room and as his eyes roamed they fell upon his plants. Yawning he went to them and checked each one gently. Each plant was grown by Tyr from seeds he collected from the forest around the village or from traders coming through the village. The plants were varied in colors from a bright vivid green to a dangerous color of red. A couple of them he had to use simple wooden tools he made himself. At the end of his usual rounds of pruning, watering, and making mental notes on what each plant needs Tyr reached his favorite plant.

With a purple stem and blue leaves this plant was unique in appearance. Uriah gifted the plant to him last year saying that this plant was the only one his mother ever had in her room when she was pregnant with him. In her journal Tyr found no mention of the strange plant. Over the past year Tyr took gentle care of the plant. Sometimes he was amazed by how Uriah kept it alive all of this time. Tyr asked his father once how he was able to do it. Uriah would only smile in response.

Checking the soil to make sure it was moist Tyr carefully lifted the leaves up. A soft aroma came from the plant installing memories of a woman's laughter and warm hugs. Smiling to himself Tyr finished his checkup of the plant and found nothing wrong with it. With a smile firmly on his face he looked at the flower with wonder and joy.

Stepping back Tyr glanced over the shelves full of plants. A sense of pride washed over him as he remembered bringing each one into the house and helping each one grow. Discovering how each plant lives, noticing how each plant would change day to day, and mistakes were woven in each pot.

*BANG!*

The sound of a metal pot made Tyr jump out of his thoughts. Turning around too his bedroom door he saw his boots still muddy but with a pair of clean socks in them. Hurrying over he slipped them all on and opened his door to a sight he was not expecting.

Taylin was bending over picking up the soup pot from the floor with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. With a face twisted in pain he picked it up and heading into the kitchen area out of Tyr's sight. Uriah was seating in his usual chair at the head of the table burying a smile deep into his beard. Still wearing the same clothes from yesterday Uriah looked as if this morning was just like any other. Melody was standing beside him leaning over the table pointing at a parchment of paper. She wore a bright blue sun dress that shined brightly with the morning sun beaming through cracks in the windows and around the door. Where ever the dress didn't cover the blue hue played off of her white skin causing her to glow even more brightly.